Rescue caught on video: Nova Scotia government helicopter blows deer trapped on ice to safety
Ian Waugh The
dramatic helicopter rescue of a deer and her fawn trapped on thin ice
on Antigonish Harbour was captured by a Nova Scotia man with a camera.
Ian Waugh, a retired biologist from Alberta, captured the amazing
footage earlier this winter.
When a deer and its offspring were
trapped on an iced-over Nova Scotia harbour, a provincial helicopter
pilot came up with an ingenious solution to saving them — by literally
blowing them away.
In January, Nova Scotia’s Department of Natural Resources were contacted by local biologist Ian Waugh, who noticed the doe and its fawn struggling to stand on the ice of the Antigonish Harbour.
The ice was too thin for the rescuers to walk out and reach the deer, so helicopter Dave Farrell improvised a solution — using the downwash from his chopper’s rotors to push the deer along the ice to the safety of the shore.
As Farrell approached, the fawn ran to the safety of the shore, but the doe stayed put.
As the wash began pushing it towards safety, the deer initially struggled against it, but eventually gave up and began sliding smoothly.
Farrell, who had performed the rescue trick before, told CBC News that deer usually cooperate with the move.
“Once they realize that they’re moving, they kind of just flatten out and they don’t struggle too much. I think it’s a lot less stressful for the animal, just to relax and let the downward motion push them across the ice,” he told the broadcaster.
After the deer neared the shore, two DNR employees pulled it to safety and sent it on its way. Waugh said he saw the mother with her fawn the next day, so they were reunited.
Waugh captured the dramatic January rescue on video and posted a clip on YouTube on Feb. 27.
“I thought they were going to do something entirely different,” Waugh told CTV Atlantic. “As the video shows, they actually did something pretty elegant … and it worked.”
In January, Nova Scotia’s Department of Natural Resources were contacted by local biologist Ian Waugh, who noticed the doe and its fawn struggling to stand on the ice of the Antigonish Harbour.
The ice was too thin for the rescuers to walk out and reach the deer, so helicopter Dave Farrell improvised a solution — using the downwash from his chopper’s rotors to push the deer along the ice to the safety of the shore.
As Farrell approached, the fawn ran to the safety of the shore, but the doe stayed put.
As the wash began pushing it towards safety, the deer initially struggled against it, but eventually gave up and began sliding smoothly.
Farrell, who had performed the rescue trick before, told CBC News that deer usually cooperate with the move.
“Once they realize that they’re moving, they kind of just flatten out and they don’t struggle too much. I think it’s a lot less stressful for the animal, just to relax and let the downward motion push them across the ice,” he told the broadcaster.
After the deer neared the shore, two DNR employees pulled it to safety and sent it on its way. Waugh said he saw the mother with her fawn the next day, so they were reunited.
Waugh captured the dramatic January rescue on video and posted a clip on YouTube on Feb. 27.
“I thought they were going to do something entirely different,” Waugh told CTV Atlantic. “As the video shows, they actually did something pretty elegant … and it worked.”
Ian Waugh The
dramatic helicopter rescue of a deer and her fawn trapped on thin ice
on Antigonish Harbour was captured by a Nova Scotia man with a camera.
Ian Waugh, a retired biologist from Alberta, captured the amazing
footage earlier this winter.
Labels: Animal Stories, Canada
posted by Pieface @ 2:03 PM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home